Meddling Ministry Makes Muggleborns Mothers
by Kebby
Summary: My take on the Marriage Law. AU in that Snape and others live. EWE First story ever! Please Read and Review! Disclaimer  in case I forget : I don't own HP and I make no money from this.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Hermione Granger was eating breakfast in the Great Hall one Saturday a few weeks after the start of her Seventh Year. She had returned with her best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, after their year on the run hunting and destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes. The trio was nearly inseparable now. Harry was dating Ron's younger sister, Ginny, and Ron was currently dating Lavender Brown once again. All of a sudden the enchanted ceiling went dark with a flurry of owls' wings as the morning mail and Daily Prophet was delivered.

Hermione deftly grabbed her copy of the Prophet before it could land in Ginny's porridge and began reading. She gasped in horror when she saw the front page headline: "**Meddling Ministry Makes Muggleborns Mothers-to-be in Malodorous Marriage Mandate.**" She continued reading quickly in spite of her friends demands to know what was going on now. The article stated that a combination of the decimation of the Wizarding World's population during the war and the tendency of Purebloods to intermarry and produce Squib children was causing the magical community to quickly become eradicated. The only way that a specialized team of Healers, researchers, Arithmancers, and Seers could come up with to save the magical population was to institute a Marriage Law that would produce magical children. But for this Marriage Law to work it would require an intermingling of Pureblood and Muggleborn DNA. The Purebloods just weren't strong enough anymore. Purebloods were now legally required to marry either Half-bloods or Muggleborns. And Muggleborns could marry Half-bloods or Purebloods. This new law affected everyone from age 17 to 200! "_How could they expect someone 200 years old to have a child?" _ Hermione thought. She continued reading and according to the article many people did not realize that witches and wizards are able to have children until their 200th birthday.

That wasn't even the worst part! The Pureblood portion of each union had to petition for the right to marry the Muggleborn or Half-blood of their choice (or in the case of a Half-blood and muggleborn union the Half-blood would make the petition). The only way that Hermione would have any choice in whom she married would be if multiple contracts were sent in on her behalf. "_I have enough trouble getting a date from one guy, let alone 2 or 3 so I can have a choice,"_ Hermione brooded. Then she read that there was a deadline! All Marriage had to take place by the end of the year! If a witch or wizard was not married by the deadline they would be sentenced to 20 years in Azkaban prison and an 20,000 Galleon fine, once they were released they could either get married or have their wand snapped and be forced to live as a Muggle. In less than three months she would be married, and quite possibly to a complete stranger!

SSHGSSHG

At the Head Table the professors were reading the same article. Potions Master, Severus Snape was furious. He had just been released from St. Mungo's three days before school started. Miss Granger, the insufferable-know-it-all and Gryffindor princess, had gone back to retrieve his body after Harry had defeated Voldemort. What she found shocked her. She had managed to stop the bleeding and slow the poison before they were forced to leave, but she didn't think it would be enough so she returned to retrieve a body, when in reality she ended up saving a life. Severus was barely breathing, but he was still alive. Hermione quickly apperated him to St. Mungo's where they were going to refuse treatment until the rest of the Golden Trio showed up and told the Healers there that Severus was a spy for the Light and that if it wasn't for him the war would have had a much different outcome. The Healers finally got started and barely managed to save Severus. He was in a coma for several weeks while his magical field righted itself. After that he was forced to endure months of rehabilitation before he was released. He had only JUST gotten his life back. He was finally free! And now the dunderheads at the Ministry of Magic were trying to control his marital and reproductive rights? He wouldn't stand for it.

Severus turned to the Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, she was shocked! He knew that she would be of no help so he stalked out of the Great Hall and out the front doors of Hogwarts. He apperated to the visitors entrance of the Ministry of Magic and requested access to the Ministry's law archives. Once he was granted access, after much scowling and sneering, he began his research. He combed the archives and poured over the new law. It was no use! There was no way around it. He would either have to petition a Muggleborn witch or wait until he was petitioned by Pureblood himself. He wasn't going to allow that to happen so as soon as he returned to his quarters at Hogwarts he began by compiling a list of all the Muggleborn witches that he knew who were also going to be affected.

Once the list was completed, Severus could only sneer at it. Most of the witches were much younger than he was. In fact, several of them were still in Hogwarts! "_Merlin! They're turning me into some kind of sick bastard who marries a woman half his age!" _ Severus thought. Then he looked closer at his list. They were all incompetent dunderheads… all except one.

Severus was mortified. His best choice was Hermione Granger! She was the only woman on his list who would be able to hold a decent conversation. Maybe she would be a quiet wife. Severus could only hope that she would pester him to death with her incessant questions. They would have smart children, that was for sure. How could they not be brilliant with the only Potions Master in Great Britain as their father and the "brightest witch of her age" as their mother? He prayed that they inherited her nose! But he was getting ahead of himself, he had to put in a petition for her and she had to accept it first. He selfishly hoped that no one else would want the girl because he would be stuck going to Azkaban if she chose someone else. _"And let's faces it,"_ he thought, _"if she gets any other petitions she won't be choosing me."_

_SSHGSSHG  
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The next morning at breakfast Hermione was surprised to get five Ministry owls. All of them carried petitions from a different Pureblood or Half-blood wizard in their beaks. Hermione took the petitions and raced to her room. She did not want anyone to be around when she opened them. She wanted to make her choice quickly so that she could move one with her life. As she opened the letters, Hermione became more and more shocked. The first was from Gregory Goyle, the second and third were from Half-blood wizards she had never heard of, the fourth was from Mr. Olivander (the creepy old wand maker), and the fifth was from her Potions Professor, Severus Snape.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Hermione sat and stared at her last petition completely dumbfounded. She simply couldn't believe that Severus Snape, the Greasy Bat of the Dungeons, wanted anything to do with her, let alone to marry her. She had always been under the impression that he held her in contempt. He was vile towards her. He had made her cry for Merlin's sake! The incident in Fourth Year was still one of her worst memories.

Shaking her head, Hermione put her last petition aside to be thought about later and set about reading over the other four. Gregory Goyle was an idiot. Hermione couldn't understand how he had made it to his Seventh Year. As Head Girl, Hermione helped many students with their studies and Goyle was always the one who needed the most help. He couldn't even speak properly he was so stupid. It was a wonder that he hadn't blown someone or something up, the way Seamus was known to do, by mispronouncing a spell or putting the wrong ingredients into a Potion. There was no way she could marry him!

Ollivander was a nice enough old man at 135… But he was very creepy. His eyes always seemed to follow Hermione when they happened to be in the same room while they were both ensconced at Shell Cottage during the war. It was disturbing to Hermione and her friends the way he looked at her. At one point Bill told Hermione to leave the room while he shouted at the old man, "She's only 17! Leave her alone you old lecher!" After the war, Ollivander had offered to replace Hermione's wand, which had been stolen during the war, free of charge. Hermione politely declined and purchased her beautiful new cherry and unicorn hair wand. Ollivander obviously only wanted a warm body in his bed and a few more heirs. Hermione would not marry a man like him.

Looking at the remaining two petitions, Hermione realize that she had no idea who these men were and the petitions didn't tell her much about them. They had never been members of The Order of the Phoenix and they weren't Aurors. She didn't recognize their names from any of the shops at Diagon Alley. One of the men was a low level secretary at the Ministry and the other was listed as a shop owner, but it wasn't a shop that Hermione and her friends had ever heard of. So, Hermione decided to do what she did best, research. She carefully composed letters to her two potential husbands and asked them about themselves, making it clear that she had other petitions that she was considering and that by writing to them she was not accepting. She just wanted to know more about them. After sending off her letters, she headed to the library. She knew that there was an encyclopedia of all the shop owners of Wizarding Britain in the library and she intended to find out all that she could about this man she might marry.

In the library, Hermione found the book she was looking for. It was just a bit of light reading (according to Hermione), so she checked it out and went back to her room because she didn't want to encounter Snape or Goyle at this point. Carefully opening the encyclopedia, Hermione quickly found the store and owner she was looking for. It was a Dark store! She hadn't recognized the name because it was in Knockturn Alley! There was no way she could marry this man either.

That meant that her choice was between Snape and a low level secretary at the Ministry. All that she knew about Snape was that he had been her Potions Professor for 5 years and a few weeks and her Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor for one year. She knew that he had loved Harry's mother, which made it highly unlikely that he would ever learn to love Hermione. It's not that she wanted her Potions Professor to love her, it was just that she had always assumed that there would be some level of mutual affection between her and her husband. There was only one thing to do… more research. And as the brilliant young researcher she was, she decided it would be best to go directly to the source. She went down to the Common Room and asked Harry if she could borrow the Map. He looked at her funny, but readily said "Of course, come up and get it with me." Once Hermione had the Map in her possession she ran out of Gryffindor Tower and down to the Dungeons in search of Professor Severus Snape.

HGSSHGSS

Severus was sitting at the Head Table, poking at his breakfast. He was waiting for the mail to arrive. He knew that he wouldn't be able to watch her open his petition, but he couldn't help scowling down at the Gryffindor table every so often. Finally the mail came, with a flurry of wings. He was surprised to see **five** ministry owls land in front of Miss Granger. Scowling once more in that direction he quickly stalked out of the Great Hall with his robes billowing out behind him. Finally, he reached his quarters without being accosted by any dunderheaded students or idiotic colleagues.

Severus wanted to brood in peace. Now what was he supposed to do? She had **FOUR **other petitions! Surely she was going to choose one of the other four men. They were all probably younger, richer, and better looking than him. _"And after all, what would a beautiful young woman like Miss Granger see in her mean, snarky old Potions Master?" _he thought with bitterness. Then it hit him. He had just thought of Miss Granger as a beautiful young woman. _"When did that happen? I know she isn't 11 years old anymore, but beautiful?" _Severus cringed. He had more to think about then he had originally thought. He had never thought of a student as beautiful before. What did that say about him? _"Surely I'm not turning into an old creep like Ollivander, am I?" _No, that was impossible, he didn't just think that she was beautiful because of her nicely proportioned figure, deep chocolate eyes, and recently tamed chestnut curls. There was much more to Miss Granger than that. She was smart and the beauty of her mind is what stood out to Severus more than anything.

As he thought about his situation, Severus couldn't help but realize that Miss Granger hadn't been quite so insufferable in his classes for the last two years that he had taught her. Maybe she was growing up. Severus liked that thought… As long as he could think of her as a woman, instead of a student, they should be fine. And he wouldn't be a lecher. That realization made him feel marginally better about this situation. Then he remembered that she had four other petitions to choose from and he didn't feel better any more.

Finally Severus decided that he needed to get some work done to get his mind off of Miss Granger. He went into his office so that he would be available to students who needed to see him and began marking student papers. After several hours and an entire bottle of red ink later, there was a knock at his office door. He sighed and continued working, after a few seconds he barked out a terse "Enter!" The door slowly opened and revealed the one person he had been struggling not to think about all morning… Hermione Granger.

HGSSHGSS

Hermione slowly opened the door to her Potions Professor's office. She was fairly nervous about the reason she wanted to speak with him. Possible marriage is a big topic, after all. Hermione was unsurprised to see Professor Snape sitting at his desk marking papers with an eyebrow arched in inquiry. She decided that Gryffindor brashness was the best way to start, "Sir, I wanted to talk to you about this new Marriage Mandate that was in _The Prophet_ yesterday. You see, I received five petitions today and am trying to decide who to choose."

"I don't see how that could possibly lead you to seek me out, Miss Granger. Isn't that a discussion you should be having with Potter and Weasley? Surely they're on that list," Professor Snape sneered. He watched Hermione chew her bottom lip while he was speaking and visibly lift her chin in defiance.

"No Sir, they are not. Ginny told me yesterday that Harry proposed to her and that she was sending in a petition on him first thing. And Ron and I would never work out. He's with Lavender and I hope he remembered to send in a petition on her. Merlin only knows what fills up that boys head, but it isn't the important things and I had more pressing matters to think about than Ronald's future happiness to nag him into sending in a petition," Hermione huffed. He was trying to rile her up and she realized that after her rant. She started again, "Anyways, that's just the thing I only know three of the men who sent in petitions on me and two of them are completely out of the question. So I narrowed it down to one of them men I know and the two I don't. I looked up this man," here she paused long enough to hand him the shop keeper's petition, "in the shop owner encyclopedia in the library. I can't marry a man that owns a dark shop. It goes against everything I stand for. So now it's narrowed down to two."

"I still fail to see how this pertains to me. Who were the men you know?" Snape asked her, knowing full well that he was one of them.

"Gregory Goyle, Mr. Ollivander, and you, Sir. I can't marry Goyle or Mr. Ollivander. Goyle is too stupid and Mr. Ollivander simply wants my body. After we saved him from Malfoy Manor he kept staring at me and it was very creepy.

So that means that my choice is between you and this low level secretary at the Ministry. And I wanted to know what made you decide to send in a petition on me. It might help me make my decision," Hermione explained.

Snape just looked at her with narrowed eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of it! JK Rowling does. I'm not making any money on it. **

**Chapter 3**

As Professor Snape continued to stare at Hermione with the glare of death, she began to rethink her question. Around the time that she started to turn around to run as far away from the dungeons as physically possible, Professor Snape replied, "perhaps this discussion would be better continued in my quarters, where others may not overhear." And with that he spun to a wall covered in books and pulled one out. Hermione was surprised to see a door open that led to a nicely appointed sitting room. She followed him inside and was cautiously invited to have a seat by the fire while Snape prepared tea.

Hermione was very nervous at this point because Professor Snape was being nice to her. It was a new experience. He had always been cruel and derisive towards her. Her thoughts were bouncing around in her head so fast that she couldn't even process any of them. She was startled when Professor Snape began to speak, "You wanted to know why I sent in a petition for you?"

"Yes, sir. I was very surprised by it. You have never done anything inappropriate or made me feel uncomfortable, so I'm assuming that it's legal for us to get married if that's the choice I end up making. But I've always been under the impression that you didn't like me at all. How could a marriage work when one person doesn't like the other?" Hermione replied.

"I don't dislike you Miss Granger. It's a simple matter of I don't know you. The only setting that we've ever spent any time together was as a student and her professor. I appreciate the brilliance of your mind, but you don't have to shove it down someone's throat that you're smart. That is apparent just from having a conversation with you." Severus decided that it would be best to be honest. He didn't dislike her. He didn't know her. They needed to get to know each other if this was going to work. So he suggested, "Why don't we spend some time together outside of the classroom and see if that doesn't help you make your decision?"

Hermione stared at him for a few minutes in shock. _"Did he just compliment me and suggest that we start dating all in the same breath? Who is this man and what has he done with Professor Snape? Maybe I should make sure that he isn't someone else Polyjuiced to look like Professor Snape…" _Hermione thought.

"STOP GAPING AT ME LIKE A GIGGED FISH MISS GRANGER! AND I AM ME; THERE IS NO REASON TO QUESTION ME AT LENGTH!" Snape snapped at her. That got Hermione's attention. And it made her mad…

"You didn't have to use Legilimency on me! It was a valid thought! You've never been anything but a snarky, sneaky Slytherin to me." Hermione retorted hotly. She took a deep breath and calmed down. After taking a sip of her tea, Hermione said, "But maybe you're right. We should get to know each other. What did you have in mind?"

Now Severus was slightly uncomfortable. He had never done anything like this. Sure, he had bedded his share of women, and they seemed to enjoy it, but he had never wooed a woman. The closest thing he had ever had to a girlfriend was Lily Evans and she was more of a friend who just happened to be the girl he loved at one time. "Umm… I guess we c-could start with having tea for a few weeks… Then maybe I could get special permission from the Headmistress to take you out. Does that sound acceptable to you, Miss Granger?" Severus stuttered in a very uncharacteristic way. He was usually so confident, especially in front of his students. It was unnerving to Hermione to see him so shaken.

Hermione decided to take pity on him. "That sounds wonderful, Professor. I do have a name, you know?" She teased looking up at him from under her eyelashes. "It might make this easier if you called me Hermione instead of Miss Granger all of the time; at least in private?" She pleaded.

Severus took a deep breath and sighed, "Very well, Miss… Hermione." After a moments consideration he added: "I suppose you may call me Severus in private. And only in a respectful tone, mind you!"

"Of course, Severus," Hermione tried. She liked the way his named rolled off her tongue. She REALLY liked the way he said her name. It almost made her melt into a big pile of goo. He was very deliberate about it. Her friends always rushed it or shortened it to "'Mione" and she wasn't a big fan of that, but she allowed it. It was quicker for them to say. Her name was quite a mouthful. But it was her name, and she liked it… especially when **Severus **said it. She found herself smiling at the thought. Without thinking Hermione said, "I like the way you say my name. You have a very nice voice, Severus." As soon as the words left her mouth Hermione realized what she had said and wished she hadn't opened her mouth. She was so embarrassed!

"Indeed," Severus smirked. He was well aware that he wasn't the most handsome man, but he knew that his voice did affect some women. He just wasn't aware that Hermione was one of them. It made him feel better. But he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He wanted her to agree to marry him. "So, what do you like to do?" he asked, trying to get a conversation started that wasn't too arduous for either of them.

Hermione smiled at the attempt. "Well," she began, "I like to read. It's my favorite thing. And I don't just read text books or novels either. I read several different journals, like _Potions Monthly, Transfiguration Today,_ and _Charms Digest. _What do you like to do?"

Severus was mildly impressed, not that he would tell Hermione that. He himself read all of those periodicals. They were all written at the Masters level. "Well," he began, "I also enjoy reading. I revel in a good conversation, but am so often denied the pleasure. Most people are too stupid to talk about anything other than Quidditch. Don't get me wrong, I like Quidditch. It's just not the stuff of stimulating dinner time conversation."

Hermione nodded sagely, "I know exactly what you mean. That's all the boys ever want to talk about. Frankly, I spend most meals bored out of mind because they refuse to discuss anything else." After a moment's reflection, Hermione realized that they may have more in common than anyone realized. "What else do you like to do, Severus?" she inquired.

"You won't believe me…" he started and glanced at Hermione to see her reaction. When he saw a raised eyebrow in response he laughed quietly to himself; maybe they would be able to get along after all. "One of my favorite pastimes over break is to go to Muggle London and explore. Sometimes I'll eat at new restaurants. Others I'll take in a show. Muggles are very entertaining. Have you ever been to the Theatre?" Severus asked. He was beginning to develop a plan for after they had gotten to know each other a little better.

Hermione smiled, "yes, I used to go all the time with my parents. In fact, that's one of the last happy memories I have of them. It was the summer before sixth year and we spent the day shopping, went to an early dinner, and caught the last showing of Mary Poppins that night." After revealing this information, Hermione got very quiet.

Severus was intrigued. _"She said it was her __**last**__ happy memory of her parents. I wonder what went wrong…" _he thought. He didn't want to hurt the girl, so cautiously he asked, "Hermione, why is that the last happy memory of your parents? It was over two years ago."

It took Hermione several minutes to formulate her answer. Technically what she had done was illegal. Tampering with memories is serious business. But who could she tell if not Severus? Surely he wouldn't condemn her the way she feared her friends would. This was her most closely guarded secret. She took a deep breath and decided to tell the truth. "It's my last happy memory of them, because the next time I saw them I erased all of their memories of me and sent them to Australia under the name Wilkins. I didn't want them to be in danger while I was off with Harry and Ron. Now I have no idea where they are. I managed to sneak away for a month after the war to go look for them. Apparently they relocated and there is no record of them anywhere. You're the only person I've ever told," she confessed with tears in her eyes. She couldn't look at him. She was so afraid she would find condemnation in those steely black eyes; where so often she could only see scorn and bitterness. She wanted to see the openness she had glimpsed for a second right after he said her name for the first time, but she was too afraid to look.

The next thing Hermione knew, Severus was kneeling in front of her. He put a single finger under her chin and gently raised it until their eyes met. What she saw there shocked her. She saw compassion…. And approval? She was very confused and was about to speak when Severus said, "You did the right thing. They were in danger. I should know. I was the one tasked with finding them. The Dark Lord wanted to use them to get to you. He would have then used you to get to Potter. He wanted me to capture them and torture them until they told me where you were. He was most displeased when I was unable to even give him a location. Never doubt what you did. It was for the best. If you want to continue searching after you graduate I will not stand in your way."

Hermione threw herself down into Severus's arms, knocking him to the ground completely, and started sobbing. Severus was very confused. "_What did I say?"_ he thought desperately. As soon as she made contact he stiffened. He was uncomfortable. He thought that he had upset the girl, no, the woman, in his arms. But after a moment's thought he realized that if that was the case she would be yelling and hexing him and he relaxed just a little. Cautiously and very quietly, as if she was a skittish animal, he said, "Hermione, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's w-wr-wrong," she sobbed. "That was the nicest thing you've ever said to me! Thank you," she sniffed. She was struggling to get herself under control. She knew that she would have to return to Gryffindor Tower soon and didn't want her friends to see that she had been crying.

"You're welcome," Severus said sweetly and very uncharacteristically. After allowing Hermione a few more minutes of crying into his chest he ordered, "Now stop this crying. Here now, get back in your chair. I'll make fresh tea." Hermione fought a smile. That was Professor Snape talking (for the most part… he wouldn't offer tea), the man who was uncomfortable with emotions. He wasn't used to having crying females throw themselves at him. She must have made him very uncomfortable. Sitting up, Hermione gave Severus a watery smile and he smirked in return. Once Hermione had stopped crying and was settled in her chair with a fresh cup of tea, they continued chatting for several hours. When Severus finally looked at the clock in his sitting room, he was shocked to find that it was almost time for dinner. Hermione had come to him shortly after lunch. They had been talking for a very long time… And he wasn't bored with her yet! This whole marriage thing might work out after all. _"If I can convince her to choose me, that is,"_he thought. But he decided to look on the bright side for once. He had spent several hours conversing with a very intelligent and beautiful young woman who might become his wife in a few months time. His life was looking up. He smiled and said, "Miss Granger, I believe it is time for dinner."

Hermione was shocked by his return to formal address. But then she realized why he had done it. He wanted to make sure that she remembered to speak to him properly when they were not in his quarters. She wanted to stay and was very confused by that. She had spent several rather enjoyable hours with her dour old Potions Master. _"He's really not THAT old. And when he smiles he's rather handsome," _she reflected. Things were going well. She might just get to marry someone she knew and who was being quite nice to her. She smiled and said, "Quite right, Professor Snape. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

**A/N: I hope you enjoy the latest chapter. Please Read and Review. I probably won't have much time to spend on the next chapter for a few weeks, but reviews might just make me stay up extra late to get you another chapter. ;) - Kebby  
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	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of it! JK Rowling does. If I did, Snape would have lived. :) **

**Chapter 4**

After dinner that night Hermione went back to the common room to spend some time with her friends. Harry and Ginny were beaming because they had just received permission from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for them to get married as soon as possible. Ron was sitting with his arms around a beaming Lavender and who was quick to tell Hermione that Ron had done the smart thing for once in his life and sent in a petition for her and she had accepted. Hermione was truly happy for her friends. She wanted them to be happy and it looked like they were going to be. Finally Ginny plucked up the courage and asked, "Who were your petitions from this morning, Hermione?"

Hermione thought about her response. She had to tell them the truth, so she said, "Some rather unexpected people actually. The first was from Goyle…" (here she made a face and retching sounds could be heard from Ron). She continued, "the next was from Ollivander" (shouts of outrage all around, the loudest from Harry who said "I thought that Bill had warned him off last year!") "I received two from men I don't know. I can only assume that sent in their petitions because of my status of 'war heroine'," Hermione sighed. That upset her. People only wanted her because of with whom she spent her time. It was rather annoying, she mused.

Lavender interrupted her musing by astutely pointing out, "that's only four, who was the fifth one from?"

Hermione had almost been hoping that this would not come up in conversation… at least not right now. She needed more time to think about this. She liked the Severus Snape that she had gotten to know today. He was brilliant, witty, handsome, and kind to her. He was not the Professor Snape that she had known for almost eight years. She was having difficulty reconciling the two different personas of the man. But the more she thought about it, the more she began to realize that he had always been sexy and witty and brilliant. It was the kindness that was new to her. And if she thought about it that could be put down to her being his student. It wasn't as thought McGonagall was her best friend… Her other professors were nice to her, but they didn't treat her the way they did one another. Hermione had a feeling that if Severus ever let any of his colleagues get close to him that he would treat them similar to how he treated her today. She smiled at that thought. He had treated her as an equal and it made her very happy.

Ron decided that she'd thought long enough and intervened, "Hello, earth to Hermione! Who sent in the last petition? We saw you get five owls this morning and you've only mentioned four blokes. And this last one will probably be who you choose, since you don't know two and the other two are creepy. Who is the lucky bloke?"

Hermione's eyes got very large. She looked like comical, but her friends didn't dare laugh. "I didn't say who I was choosing!" She was being very defensive and her friends were getting worried.

"Come on, Hermione, it can't be that bad. It's not like it's Snape," Harry laughed at his own joke and failed to notice how Hermione's face fell.

Hermione bolted to her feet and yelled, "that's PROFESSOR Snape to you!" Much more quietly she added, "and Severus was very nice to me this afternoon when we had tea," before she ran to her room. Her friends just stared at each other for a moment. They couldn't believe that Hermione was falling for the greasy bat of the dungeons. Ginny and Lavender quickly got to their feet, after admonishing their fiancés not to do anything stupid or say anything to anyone, and ran after Hermione. She needed comfort right now and they wanted to understand her reaction.

Ginny gently knocked on Hermione's door. Hermione was inside crying on her bed and barely heard the soft, "Hermione, it's us, Ginny and Lavender. Would it be alright if we came in for a chat? We want to support you. We're here for you, whoever you choose!" After a few moments of sniffling and wiping her eyes Hermione granted them entrance. She didn't want to be alone. She wanted them to understand. She thought that he might very well be her best choice, and she was beginning to fancy him.

"You said you had tea with Professor Snape this afternoon… What was that like?" Lavender asked. She was afraid of the man herself, and thought that Hermione was very brave to have been alone with him for most of the afternoon. Lavender knew that several of the girls in their year thought that his voice was very sexy, but she didn't want to upset Hermione so she didn't bring that up just yet. Lavender was worried about Hermione. Her choices were between their hated Potions Professor, two creeps she didn't know, a pedophile about 120 years older than her, and Goyle. She shivered just thinking about it. At least Snape had that large nose… No, she needed to stop thinking like that she was supposed to be supporting Hermione, not pitying her. Maybe she should point that out as a bonus… She decided she wouldn't bring it up just yet.

"It was nice. We have so much in common. We both enjoy the same things: reading, the theater, potions, transfiguration, charms, and research. And he was so nice to me! We're planning to get to know each other. Nothing is official. We just want to spend some time where we aren't confined by the whole teacher/student thing. I sent an owl to one of the strangers asking for more information about him and Severus knows that. He knows that I haven't made up my mind yet. But tea was perfect," Hermione stated. "I got to see a different side of him. And… I noticed that his voice is really sexy… especially when he says my name," she confessed sheepishly. She wasn't embarrassed; she just wasn't used to having this type of conversation centered on her. She was always there for her girl friends when they wanted to talk about boys, but she had never had anyone to talk about with them. It was a new experience for her. She liked it.

The other girls giggled. They could tell that Hermione had almost made up her mind. She really was starting to like Snape. They couldn't really believe it, but they were happy for her. And they knew how sexy that voice was! "I hope that this works out for you, Hermione. You deserve to be happy. And so does Professor Snape. He gave up more than anyone else during the war," Ginny declared. She thought that they would make a charming couple. She just hoped he didn't do anything stupid to screw it up for himself. After that comment, the conversation moved on to Professor Snape's other attributes and that made Hermione blush. She knew that her friends would support her, no matter what. And she knew that these girls would get the boys to come around and in time everything would go back to normal.

Several weeks passed. Severus continued to be nice to Hermione in private and a snarky bastard in class. Hermione was fine with this arrangement. It meant fewer questions from her classmates. She was having tea with Severus every night after class and before dinner. After dinner she would try to do her homework before bed. More often than not, she found it difficult to concentrate. Her mind was too full of her time spent with Severus. She was quickly falling in love with him. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized that this could work.

Severus was having much the same problem. He had been plotting for weeks. He wanted to make their first "date" special. He had gotten special permission from the Headmistress (who was the only other professor who knew that he had sent a petition for Hermione) to take Hermione to Muggle London for a proper date. He was planning on taking her to a romantic dinner and then to the theater. The more time he thought about it, the more he worried that she wouldn't like it. One day as his Seventh Year Gryffindor and Slytherin Potions class was packing their bags, he decided that it was time to put his plan into action. If he didn't do it now, he never would. "Miss Granger, stay after class. Your potion was abysmal and we need to discuss your punishment," Severus drawled. In reality, Hermione's potion was perfect. He just needed an excuse to talk to her and Hermione knew that so she waved her friends on to lunch and calmly stayed in her seat.

Once the room was empty Severus flicked his wand at the door to shut and lock it. "I'm sorry to keep you under false pretenses; I just couldn't think of any other reason for you to stay and didn't want to cause trouble for you," Severus apologized. Hermione was shocked. Severus Snape never apologized.

She was impressed and said, "It's alright, Severus. I knew that my potion is perfect." She grinned at him cheekily. Severus nodded and smirked back at her. "What's the real reason I'm still here then," Hermione inquired.

Severus cleared his throat, it was suddenly very dry. "Well, as we have been spending so much time together and getting to know one another so well, I thought that it might be time for us to go on a date. I have cleared it with the Headmistress. I have been excused from patrol this Friday night. Are you free to go to dinner and the theater with me in Muggle London?" Severus asked very solemnly.

Hermione smiled, "that sounds lovely. Thank you!" She was glad that he remembered that she enjoyed the theater. They hadn't really discussed it since their first tea session.

"Very well then, I believe it's time for lunch then, Hermione," Severus said and ushered her to the door. Before he could open it, Hermione had stood up on her tiptoes and brushed his cheek with her lips. Severus was shocked, but tried not to let it show as he opened the door to let her go up to lunch. He went back to his desk and began grading an essay. _"Yes, that was a very good idea" _he thought with a smug look on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The rest of the week flew by for Hermione. Before she knew it Friday was upon her. She was grateful that she only had a morning class on Fridays because she was stressing about what to wear. She wanted to make sure that she looked like an adult, but at the same time didn't want to look slutty. All she could think about during Charms that morning was her wardrobe, hair, and make-up… so it was a very good thing that she was the brightest witch of her age, otherwise she might have blown something up the way that Seamus used to back in First Year. All during lunch she kept drifting off into her own little world trying to figure out what she was going to do with her hair. Finally, Ginny asked her what was wrong and she shyly replied, "I'm going on a date this evening and can't decide what I'm going to wear or how to do my hair. Do you have a class after lunch? I could really use your help… You're amazing at hair and make-up charms! You never make me look bad when you do my make-up; I always look like a clown when I try to do it myself."

Ginny was shocked. She hadn't realized that Hermione was so worried about impressing Snape of all people. She knew that Snape was most likely who Hermione would choose, but that didn't mean that the girl had to put that much effort into making him like her. She was the only woman for whom Snape had sent in a petition and he didn't receive any from any pureblood witches, so Hermione was basically his only chance. It didn't matter what she looked like. It was all up to her, so he should be the one who was worried. After a moment's thought Ginny replied with a large smile, "Of course I'll help you, Hermione! What are best friends supposed to do besides help each other get ready for dates?"

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much Ginny! Do you have any ideas on what I should wear?" Hermione asked. She explained her requirements, "I want to look grown up. I don't want Severus to see me as a student. That's the major impediment to me choosing him. I'm afraid that he will only ever see me as the bushy haired, buck toothed, insufferable know-it-all Gryffindor , eleven year old that I was when we first met.

"But at the same time I don't want to look like a slut. Most of my adult outfits make me look like Madame Pince… I don't think he would appreciate that. Besides, we're going to the theater. I need to look nice," Hermione finally stopped her rambling long enough for think.

When Ginny finally spoke she sounded pensive, "I think I have JUST the outfit that you need! We might need to transfigure the color, because I want it to bring out your eyes, but that shouldn't be a problem. You are amazing at Transfiguration, after all." Ginny smiled at her best girl friend.

After lunch went to her dorm and gathered everything that they would need to make Hermione look her best. She waltzed into Hermione's room and hand her three potion vials. "I want you to get in the shower and use the pink potion on your skin. It will make it super soft, glowing, and smooth. The blue potion is to be on your hair first. It's a shampoo that will take out all of the frizz but leave the curl. The purple potion is also for your hair. It's a conditioner that will make your hair soft and manageable. We'll make Snape want to run his fingers through your hair at least once before the night is done," Ginny grinned. While Hermione was in the shower, Ginny proceeded to set up everything else that she was planning to use. The dress she had picked out for Hermione to wear that night was hanging on the wardrobe in a dress bag. She wanted Hermione to be surprised when she stepped into it once they were done with her hair and make-up.

Hermione stepped out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam. Ginny quickly shoved a Slytherin green thong at her and instructed her to put on the barely there underwear and wrap up in her towel again. Hermione was shocked by this choice of underwear and when she asked about it Ginny smirked and asked, "Don't you think he'll appreciate the color?"

Hermione gasped, "I'm not planning on him seeing it!" She was appalled at her friend's brazen statement, but she had to admit that the color did look rather good on her. Ginny just smiled and shrugged. Once Hermione was securely wrapped back up in her towel Ginny started on her hair. She muttered a quick drying spell and noticed that it was almost perfect just from the potion she insisted that Hermione use. All she had to do was twist in some emerald hair pins here and there and the hair was perfect. Next she began on Hermione's make-up. Ginny decided she wanted the older girl to have a classic smoky eye that would match her dress and make her big brown eyes pop, so she used different shades of green and brown. She wouldn't let Hermione look in the mirror until she was wearing the dress and matching heels; she wanted the finished product to be a surprise.

Finally Ginny was finished doing hair and make-up and turned towards the wardrobe. She said, "Now, the dress is black, but I want you to transfigure it to emerald green. That color goes amazing with your eyes." She slowly lowered the zipper on the dress bag to reveal the most beautiful cocktail dress Hermione had ever seen. It looked like a halter top, but the straps didn't meet around her neck they went all the way to the back of the dress so she wouldn't fee exposed. There were gathered panels that overlapped to hug her curves. Overall it would create a very pleasing silhouette. Hermione immediately complied and changed the color of the dress to the precise shade of Slytherin green for which Ginny was hoping. Hermione quickly slipped into the dress. Ginny passed her the silver heels that she had picked out to go with the dress. While Hermione was busy putting on the beautiful shoes, Ginny conjured a full length mirror so that Hermione could see the finished product easily.

When Hermione looked in the mirror she gasped. "Oh my God, Ginny I look amazing! You have to tell me where you got those potions. They were much easier to use than Sleekeazy's and I didn't have to use nearly as much! There's still tons of it left and when I did my hair for the Yule Ball in Fourth year I used more than one bottle! Thank you so much, Ginny! I never could have done this without you," Hermione exclaimed. Ginny just smirked. She was rather pleased with her hard work. Hermione looked beautiful, there was simply no other word for it.

Hermione quickly grabbed her black winter cloak. She cast a charm over her hair so that the cloak wouldn't turn it back into its usually rats' nest. Hermione wanted Severus to be the first person who saw her dress so she put the cloak on over it and headed down to the common room so she could meet Severus. Earlier in the week Severus had stopped Hermione and told her that he would pick her up at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. He wanted this to be a proper date; of course to everyone else it would just look like he was collecting the Head Girl for business with the Headmistress. While Hermione was waiting for Severus to knock on the portrait hole, she sat and chatted with her friends. Lavender was amazed at how good her hair looked and asked what she had used. Ginny told her, "I asked her to try out my new shampoo and conditioner potions. I wanted to see if they would work as well on curly hair as they do on mine. Apparently they do."

While Ginny and Lavender were discussing this there was a loud banging on the portrait hole and the Fat Lady informed them that an "irate Potions Master" was demanding to see the Head Girl on urgent business with the Headmistress. Everyone looked at Hermione as she calmly got to her feet and glided to the exit.

When Hermione got outside the portrait hole she took off her cloak so that Severus could see her dress. She was surprised when she heard him groan. She looked at him with a very confused and hurt expression on her face, "You don't like it?"

"On the contrary, Hermione, I don't think I have ever seen anyone look as beautiful as you do now. I was momentarily debating whether to take you to Muggle London for our scheduled date or back to my rooms to ravish you. You look absolutely stunning. Perhaps we should leave before I make a very bad decision," Severus replied.

Hermione was oddly pleased by this revelation. The man that she might marry was very attracted to her. It made her smile as he helped her put her cloak back on her shoulders. He told her that he would transfigure it into a Muggle coat for her when they got to Diagon Alley. She thanked him quietly and they head for the gates so that they could apparate.

**A/N: sorry this took so long. I wasn't very motivated this weekend with school stuff. The final semester of Nursing School is very difficult; thankfully our instructors are more than willing to help us. But this weekend I was worried that they wouldn't be, so I was stressing out over nothing. Reviews would be lovely! The more I get the faster you'll get their date. Links to pictures of Hermione's shoes and dress will be on my profile for anyone who's interested. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Hermione and Severus arrived in the alley behind The Leaky Cauldron with a loud crack. As soon as Hermione opened her eyes she saw that Severus had been true to his word and transfigured her cloak into a beautiful silver pea coat that matched her outfit perfectly. She shivered slightly at the feel of his magic running over her. Thinking that she had shivered from the cold, Severus quickly cast a warming charm on her legs. Hermione smiled up at him, "Thank you. That was very kind. I wouldn't have thought about my legs getting cold. Now, where are we going?"

"We are going to dinner and a show. I thought I told you that already…" Severus answered evasively. He wasn't sure about the show that he had managed to get tickets to at the last minute. It was a musical called _Blood Brothers._ He didn't think that Hermione would like it very much, especially since her previous experience at the theater was such a happy show with her parents. It tells the story of two brothers separated at birth because their mother (Mrs. Johnstone) cannot afford two more children and her employer (Mrs. Lyon) offers to take one of the boys but tells the real mother that if the boys ever find out that they were separated they would both die; so neither of the boys knows about the other. When they are older the brothers, Mickey and Eddie, meet and become best friends, but one is rich (Eddie) and the other is poor (Mickey). They grow up and the Mickey gets in trouble with the law. When he gets out of prison he is depressed and discovers that his best friend has fallen in love with his wife. He believes that his wife is having an affair with his best friend and takes a gun to confront Eddie. Mrs. Johnstone finds out and rushes to Eddie's office to stop Mickey and tells are brothers the truth. When their mother finally reveals the truth, Mickey's gun goes off killing Eddie and the police storm in and kill Mickey, thus proving Mrs. Lyons' superstitious lie to be true. Severus liked the musical, but he worried that Hermione would not. All during dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant Hermione tired to get him to tell her what show they were going to see, but Severus refused.

When they finally got to the theater, Hermione gasped. "I've always wanted to see this! I've heard that it's excellent," she exclaimed.

Severus heaved a great sigh of relief, "I was worried you wouldn't like it. It's much darker than _Mary Poppins_. I hope it lives up to your expectations." The show was brilliant. The actors were superb and the music was amazing and Hermione had the time of her life. This was the best date she had ever had.

"I don't want this night to end. It's been perfect. Do we really have to go back to Hogwarts?" Hermione begged. She was very quickly falling in love but didn't want to let it show just yet.

Severus chuckled. He was exceptionally pleased with tonight's outcome. He had been so worried she wouldn't enjoy herself that to hear her begging not to go home was gratifying to say the least. He hoped that he had made a good enough impression that she would accept his petition. "Sadly, we must. I'm glad that you enjoyed our evening. Perhaps you would like to do it again sometime?" he asked. Severus hoped that he wasn't being too transparent about how much he was starting to love her. He didn't want to seem desperate… even though he knew that she already knew exactly how desperate he was.

"OK, OK… I guess you're right. Let's go then," she whined and took his arm to walk back to the Leaky Cauldron. As they walked they talked about everything they could think of, trying to prolong the night. Neither of them wanted the date to end. It was too perfect. Severus was mentally planning how he was going to kiss her when they got back. He wanted it to be the perfect end to the perfect evening. When they got back to the gates they started walking even slower. Hermione thought that they were going to part at the castle doors, but Severus had other ideas.

"I had a love…" Hermione started, but Severus cut her off before she had a chance to finish.

"What makes you think it's over, Hermione? This date is not over until I have escorted you back to your door," he smirked at her blush and they continued on their way up to Gryffindor Tower. When they arrived at their destination he asked her, "Now what was it you were trying to tell me earlier?"

Hermione gave him a small, shy smile and said, "Severus, I had a love…" Again, he cut her off, but this time it was by gently placing a finger under her chin and making her look at him just before his lips descended on hers in the softest kiss imaginable. He didn't want to scare her away from him. When he pulled away, Hermione had a glazed look on her face and sighed, saying, "…lovely time tonight. Thank you."

Severus chuckled, "I had hoped to leave you speechless, but that seems to be a rather difficult feat. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself tonight, though. Good night, Hermione."

As he turned away, Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards her. She wrapped both arms around his neck and stood up on her tiptoes while pulling his head down to hers. Just before their lips met for the second time; she whispered, "Good night, Severus." Their second kiss was much more passionate than their first. Severus had been afraid to scare Hermione away, but Hermione had no such qualms as she opened her mouth to him in invitation (which he gladly accepted). They only broke apart when Severus heard Hermione moan and he realized where they were. He didn't want anyone to catch them kissing… It wasn't that he was ashamed of his relationship with her; it was that he was a very private person and he cared about her too much to let her reputation be sullied. He didn't want to hear the dunderheads making fun of her. "_Let them think that it's a marriage of convenience brought about by the Marriage Mandate once it's happened, but I refuse to let them think that she is shagging a professor to get better grades,"_ he thought just before gently broke the kiss. He looked at her for a moment and smiled before walking away. They were both speechless after that kiss.

As Severus walked away the thought, "_Now I need to start planning the perfect proposal… I don't want her to think that it's because of the Ministry of Magic's Marriage Mandate anymore. Now it's because I love her."_ That thought scared him. He had never really known love before now. But Hermione was different and there was no reason to be afraid of her or her reaction. He just hoped that she returned his affections. He smiled to himself. Tonight had been perfect, just as he had hoped.

Hermione watched him walk back towards the dungeons until she couldn't see him anymore. She quickly conjured a cloak identical to the one she had at the start of the evening (she loved the pea coat Severus had transfigured too much to turn it back into a plain old cloak). Once that was done and she had donned her new cloak, Hermione quickly woke the Fat Lady and told her the password so she could return to her dorm. When she scrabbled into the Common Room it was to find only four people. Harry, Ron, Lavender and Ginny had made sure everyone else had gone to bed and had waited up for her. Hermione was touched.

"Hi guys, what's new?" she asked as she removed her cloak, revealing her new coat.

"Where'd that coat come from, Hermione? It's beautiful and matches the rest of your outfit perfectly," Ginny exclaimed.

"Oh! Um… I had to wear a Muggle coat since we were going to Muggle London, didn't I? Well Severus transfigured my cloak into this so I wouldn't look out of place," Hermione explained.

The boys gaped at her. They couldn't believe that Snape would be that nice to anyone, let alone to the "insufferable know-it-all Gryffindor princess." The girls just giggled. They had seen how much Snape had grown to like Hermione. They had no idea that he had fallen in love with her, but they knew that he liked her and cared for her deeply. "So, how was it?" Lavender demanded.

Hermione sighed and got a dreamy look on her face as she went over the night in her mind before she began speaking. "It was perfect!" she finally exclaimed. She went on to tell them everything (except about Severus wanting to take her to his rooms when he saw her and the second kiss – those were too special to share). The girls were happy for Hermione. They wanted her to be able to love her husband and it looked that that was what was happening. She was falling in love with the man they knew she was going to pick. The boys didn't know what to think. There was no way that she had really gone out with Snape. It just didn't sound like him. They knew how much Hermione loved the theater, but for HIM to remember that and take her there was inconceivable to them. They were happy for her, but they just couldn't believe it. They hoped that she would be safe and happy with whoever she chose.

Hermione went to bed that night with a smile on her face. She was in love and her friends were happy for her. She had been worried that they boys would never speak to her again after what she told them about the date. But she was ecstatic that Severus seemed to know her so well and was so nice. She had feared that he would be the same in private that he was in public (at least in the Wizarding world… he was perfectly pleasant in the Muggle world, thank you very much); but he had proven her wrong and it made her very happy. _"I just hope that one day he can come to love me as much as I've come to love him already,"_ she thought with a sigh and a soft smile as she drifted off to sleep.

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long! I couldn't figure out where they were going to go. **_**Blood Brothers**_** is a real musical. I saw it when I was in London and it was amazing! I highly recommend it if you're ever there****. **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next morning Hermione woke up with a smile plastered on her face. She was glad that it was a Saturday so she could wear what she wanted and she could go down to Severus's quarters and spend most of the day reading and talking with him. She really enjoyed spending time with the grumpy older man. She loved him. That was the only reason she could think that she would want to spend so much time with him. She only hoped that he enjoyed their time together as much as she did. She really hoped that he would come to love her too one day. While she was contemplating her relationship with Severus she took a relaxing bubble bath with her favorite sent and washed her hair. She wanted to look pretty for when she saw Severus. _"Are we technically a couple yet? I want to be his girlfriend and so much more,"_ she thought. She did some of her best thinking while relaxing in the warm water. She decided that she would just have to discuss the status of their relationship with Severus this afternoon while she was spending time with him. She knew that they would be getting married in a few months, but she wanted to spend at least a little bit of time with him as her boyfriend. The thought made her smile.

When she got out of the bath, Hermione picked out her prettiest sweater and shortest skirt which she paired with a pair of leggings and nice warm boots. She wanted to look nice and show off her figure for Severus, but it was COLD in the dungeons even with the fire that was always crackling cheerfully away in Severus's private sitting room. She did a charm to dry and tame her hair. Normally she didn't bother with the taming spell, but today she wanted it to fall in soft curls instead of looking like a bush that a rodent had slept in the night before. Hermione knew that her eyes were her best feature so she quickly applied some Muggle make-up (she knew how to use the cosmetic charm, but liked the look of doing it the Muggle way better… it was more precise). When she was finally ready, Hermione went down to the Common Room to meet her friends before heading down to breakfast.

At breakfast Hermione glanced up at the staff table and noticed that Severus was not there. She frowned to herself. Maybe he was just tired and decided to skip breakfast. She would go down to his quarters when she was finished and make sure he was alright. She hoped that he wasn't sick. She had never known him to be, but that didn't mean that it couldn't happen and she decided that she was worried about him. Once her plan had been formulated she focused back on her friends. They were chatting about the upcoming Quidditch season and the Gryffindor house team's prospects. It was shaping up to be a pretty good season from the sound of the excited talk. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were all on the team and were excited about the first match of the season against Huffelpuff, which would take place the following weekend. Hermione soon became bored with talk of Quidditch and quickly finished her breakfast. She wanted to get to the dungeons as quickly as possible.

Hermione had to be the only Gryffindor in the entire castle who was brave enough to go the Severus's quarters. The others thought that she was insane; especially since he hadn't been at breakfast. That usually meant that he was in a bad mood and didn't want even minimal contact with human beings. Be that as it may, Hermione determinedly marched down to the dungeons to check on her beloved. She hoped that he was well, but if he wasn't she would just spend the day taking care of him and reading while he rested. When she reached the portrait that guarded his rooms, she knocked quite loudly so that he would be able to hear her in case he was still in bed. There was no answer. _"That's odd, he's always awake. I really hope that he's alright!" _Hermione was officially in worry mode. She started pacing and a few minutes later knocked on the portrait again. Still there was no answer. But this time a house elf popped right in front of her, scaring Hermione half to death. The small creature looked at Hermione with her large bulbous eyes and informed her, "The master does not be in the castle right now. Is there something Blinky can be's doing for you, miss?"

Hermione was confused. Severus was always at the castle these days. She started to doubt that their date had gone as well as she had thought last night. She thought that he must have changed his mind about her and was trying to get out of the Marriage Mandate after all. She was devastated. With tears in her eyes she asked the elf, "Do you know where he went, Blinky? And when will he be back? I would really like to speak with him."

Blinky just blinked at Hermione. "Miss doesn't know? Master be going to Diagon Alley for something. He's not be telling Blinky what and he's not be letting Blinky do it for him. Blinky wanted to iron her hands for not being good enough to do Master's shopping, but Master be good to Blinky and not lets her. Master says he's being getting something special and wanting to pick it out himself. Blinky can be coming to get Miss when Master returns. Blinky knows that Master be liking Miss very much and wanting to speak with Miss too."

Hermione smiled and sighed with relief. He just had to do some shopping and Blinky thought that he liked her. If his house elf thought so then it must be true. She did spend the majority of her time looking after Severus after all and knew what he liked and didn't like. Hermione was glad to see that the elf wore a clean pillow case and had no wounds so he must be taking care of her as well. It made her very happy to know that he treated his elf well. Hermione's ideas had changed since S.P.E.W. She no longer wanted all elves free. She just wanted them to be treated well. "I would like that very much, Blinky. Thank you," Hermione told the small creature.

SSHGSSHG

Severus woke early. He had some shopping to do. He informed his house elf, Blinky, that he would be gone for most of the morning. The blasted elf wanted to know every detail. When he wouldn't tell her she wanted to iron her hands. Sometimes Severus thought that it would be easier if he didn't even have a house elf. All she ever did was whine to do things for him. It got rather annoying actually. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Of course he did like having the little thing. She did come in handy at times. She couldn't do any of his potions work, but she could cook for him when he was exceptionally tired and didn't feel like going up to the Great Hall. He was planning on using her in his plan to propose properly to Hermione. He couldn't let the little elf do this part of his plan though… He had to buy her ring on his own. He had an idea about it that would hopefully show her his love. He just hoped that it wasn't too sentimental. He didn't want the rest of the world thinking that he'd gone soft.

Severus decided that he would grab breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron. It would make sneaking out of the castle easier if he wasn't at breakfast in the Great Hall. He quickly walked down to the apparition point and apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. He ate breakfast as fast as he could. He didn't want the fools around him to try talking to him. He wanted to get this shopping trip over as quickly as possible so that he could get back to his Hermione. He really wanted to spend the day with her. He planned to propose to her the next day over dinner in his quarters.

After he finished eating he walked to the best jewelry store in Diagon Alley. He wanted this to be perfect. He had connections at this jeweler. He was an old family friend. When he walked in Mr. Stone greeted him by name and insisted that he help Severus himself, "Severus, old friend, what can I do for you today? A ring perhaps? I'm surprised that he didn't try to find a way around the Marriage Mandate."

Severus smiled at Mr. Stone, "I tried at first, but I think that it's actually helped me to find the one. She's amazing. And I actually have something in mind. I want a platinum setting. The center stone should be in the shape of a heart surrounded by small emeralds. Can you have it ready by this afternoon?"

"So soon? I'm impressed. I can't believe that this witch has affected you so quickly," Mr. Stone chuckled. His friend must have found a terribly impressive witch. She would have to be very intelligent and beautiful. "I'll have it done if a few hours. I have the base ring already. I'll just have to add the emeralds," he said.

"Good," Severus was pleased. He didn't think he would be this excited. Nervous? That was the emotion he was expecting to feel. But the only thing he felt was excitement. He couldn't wait until tomorrow evening! While he was waiting he decided to look around the store. He wanted to get Hermione something to give her for a wedding present. Just before Mr. Stone came over to present him with the ring, Severus found just what he wanted. It was a platinum necklace. The pendant was the outline of a heart. It was surrounded by alternating diamonds and emeralds. It was beautiful and it matched her ring perfectly. He hoped that she liked it! He thought that it represented them perfectly. The diamonds were pure just like Hermione and the emeralds were the perfect representation of Severus and his Slytherin background. He bought both. One he would give her tomorrow night and the other on their wedding night. Now that he had a plan he headed back to the castle, smiling the whole way.

**I hope this is good. Sorry for the long wait; I had trouble coming up with this chapter. The ring and necklace that Severus picked out were inspired by pieces that I found at Tiffany & Co.'s website. I added the emeralds. The proposal should be coming up sometime next week. Reviews are love! **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Hermione had trouble concentrating on her homework that day. She really wanted to see Severus and her mind kept wondering to her favorite sneaky, snarky, Slytherin. She had come to realize that his sarcasm was mostly just his sense of humor and that when it wasn't directed at her (and even sometimes when it was) it really was quite funny. Her friends had told her several times in the past few weeks that she was getting cranky when in reality she was just allowing Severus to rub off on her. She thought that she was quite funny, and so did her friends when she wasn't directing her new found sarcasm at them. Hermione smiled at the thought of her latest barb towards Malfoy and his cronies. Just as she started to turn back to her Potions homework (which was the only subject that seemed to be able to hold her attention for any amount of time today) there was a loud crack right in front of her that caused her to jump about three feet in the air. She looked all around and couldn't see anything until she felt a tugging on her skirt. Finally Hermione looked down and saw Blinkey. Blinkey smiled up at Hermione and said, "Master is being back now and wanting to see Miss." Hermione didn't wait for Blinkey to finish speaking. She turned and started running down to the dungeons with a great big grin on her face.

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Severus was pleased with the rings and necklace that he had picked out. Mr. Stone was quite proud of both pieces and made sure to tell Severus to keep him in mind for all of his future needs. Severus assured him that he would go nowhere else. Severus was fine-tuning his plan for tomorrow evening on his way back to the castle. He would send Blinkey to get Hermione when he got back. He wanted to discuss their relationship before he actually proposed tomorrow. Maybe they could have a nice quiet lunch in his quarters that afternoon. Yes, he liked that plan.

When Severus got back to the castle he went straight to his quarters and summoned his house elf. It was days like this when she came in handy. He said, "Blinkey, I want you to go find Miss Granger and bring her back here. When you're both back I want you to fix a nice lunch for two. Thank you." Before Severus had even finished thanking the small creature she had vanished with an excited POP. Severus smiled to himself; it seemed that she approved of Hermione. It made him happy. He only hoped that Hermione didn't try to give his house elf clothes. That could be disastrous. He mentally added that to the list of things he wanted to talk to Hermione about while he waited.

It took longer than he expected for Hermione to make it to his quarters. Severus had almost dozed off while waiting on her to arrive. Suddenly he heard a loud banging on the door that led to his quarters. Severus was puzzled. He thought that Blinkey would have just apperated Hermione straight to him. He had a slight frown on his face when he opened the door to let the girl inside. "What's wrong?" Hermione immediately asked.

Severus shook his head and said, "Nothing, I just thought that my elf would have brought you by apperating. She knew that I wanted to see you and she gets excited sometimes."

Hermione's eyes got wide. "Oh, I didn't even think of that. I was so excited when she said that you were back, that I started running. I had to take my books back to my dorm from the library, and then I had to come all the way down here from the Tower. I came as fast as I could," she panted, still slightly out of breath from running all that way. Severus just chuckled. He hadn't thought of Hermione being that excited to see him. It made him very happy. Hermione just pouted. She didn't want to seem overly anxious to see him. That just gave Severus too much information.

Seeing her troubled expression Severus was quick to tell her, "Don't be upset. I'm glad that you're so excited to see me. If I weren't afraid of Minerva seeing me I would have flown around the castle looking for you myself. But that would just make the old busybody entirely too happy, and I can't have that, now can I?"

Hermione giggled, "No, I suppose you do have a reputation to maintain." She was giddy at the prospect of him wanting to hunt her down himself. No one had ever wanted to see her that badly. Especially not an incredibly sexy man like Severus. By this point they had moved into the sitting room and were sitting on the couch very close together. They had abandoned the chairs a few meetings ago in favor of being closer to each other. Hermione really liked to be close to Severus. He was so tall and smelled so good that it made her feel protected and at home just to be close to him. She inhaled deeply to catch his sent and it helped her to relax.

"Hermione?" Severus began. He wasn't sure how to begin this conversation. They'd only had one date and the two kisses. He knew that he wanted more of both of those before they were married. She was addicting. Hermione slowly turned towards him sensing that this was going to be an important discussion. She nodded for Severus to continue. Before he could stop himself Severus said, "I love you." Hermione smiled the most beautiful smile that he could imagine, which made up for the fact that this wasn't how Severus had planned on starting this monumental conversation.

What made up for it even more was when Hermione reached up and cupped his face with her small hand and leaned forward and gave him the sweetest kiss he had ever experienced before saying, "I love you too, Severus."

Severus was shocked. He knew that she liked him, but was amazed that she could actually love a man like him. He inhaled sharply. "Good. That wasn't what I had planned on saying. I was hoping to talk about our relationship before I just blurted that out. I hope that it didn't frighten you. I wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed our date and would like to go on another one sometime," Severus started rambling. He was really nervous now.

Before he could go any further with his nervous rant, Hermione interrupted, "It's ok. I think it's better this way. Now all our feelings are out in the open. I really enjoyed it too. In fact I wanted to continue it this morning, but when I got to breakfast you weren't there and I started to think that maybe you were sick. Then I really started to worry when you wouldn't open your door. But Blinkey came and told me that you had gone Diagon Alley for some special ingredients." Hermione realized that she was rambling too and quickly shut her mouth. She didn't want to seem like a stalker. She just wanted Severus to know how much she cared about him.

"You were worried about me?" Severus asked. He was in awe of this woman. No one he had ever known had ever worried about him. If he hadn't been sure about his decision before, he was now. He was going to marry this woman if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Why do you seem so shocked? That's what people in love do. They care about each other and their well being," Hermione answered.

"I've just never had anyone worry about me before. Besides Albus I mean, and he doesn't count because he was worried about a spy, not ME," Severus responded. It was a good feeling to know that she worried about him. "Hermione, what are we?" Severus really wanted to know. That was the reason he had sent his house elf after her in the first place.

"Well, we're in love. Does that make us a couple?" Hermione asked.

"I would like it if that's what it meant," Severus replied.

Hermione smiled, "Then it's settled. We're a couple, because I would like that very much too."

Severus sighed, "I was hoping you'd say that. Would you like some tea?" Hermione accepted his offer and they continued with their normal tea time conversations. Only now they were curled up very close to each other on the sofa. As Hermione was getting ready to leave Severus's rooms for dinner he stopped her at the door and asked, "Would you like to join me for dinner tomorrow evening here in my quarters?"

"I would like that very much, Severus," Hermione replied before leaning up to give him a long, slow, sweet kiss, the kind that only two people truly in love can share. They eventually pulled away from each other and Hermione said, "I'll see you tomorrow. Before Severus could say a word, she was gone with a soft smile playing on her lips.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I'm just having fun.**

That night saw Severus finalizing his plans. He gave instructions to Blinky about dinner and set about deciding what to wear the next day so that he didn't feel rushed later. When he finally stopped and got ready to bed, Severus sat up with a book in his hand but was unable to concentrate on the words (which was very unusual for him). He was focused instead on Hermione's smile when she said she would like for them to be a couple. She had been absolutely beautiful in that moment. He wasn't used to thinking such things about the young lady in question… but he had begun to see her in a new light. She was absolutely perfect for him. And to think that he never would have given her a second glance if it hadn't been for that maddening marriage mandate the Ministry had managed to enforce. For once, he was thankful to the Ministry for their meddling.

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Hermione was thinking along the same lines as Severus when she crawled into bed that night after finishing her homework and spending some time with her friends. She loved to see Severus smile and it was even more gratifying that she only ever saw it when they were alone. She was beginning to see that she would never have been able to make things work with Ron the way she had hoped when they were younger and that he was a good match with Lavender; but more importantly she was beginning to see that she and Severus were perfect for each other. They complimented each other thoroughly. While she was for the most part kind and forgiving, Severus was mean and could hold a grudge. But on the other hand they were very similar. Both were extremely intelligent and enjoyed reading. They had a similar sense of humor (of course Hermione would never say the things that he said… she was too polite). Both were very powerful magically. Overall, they made a very nice couple indeed. Hermione fell asleep with another smile on her face dreaming about what kind of life they could build together thanks to the marriage mandate.

The next morning, Hermione woke with a smile. She was excited about her dinner with Severus. She really enjoyed spending time with him. It didn't matter that she had spent most of the afternoon with him yesterday. She wanted to be with him all the time. He made her happy. In the meantime, she decided that she would spend some time with her friends. She realized that she hadn't spent much time with just the boys recently. After going down to the common room she found the boys waiting for her.

"Good morning, Harry, Ron! Where are Ginny and Lavender? I haven't seen you guys without the two of them in a while," Hermione greeted her two best friends.

Harry smiled sheepishly and replied, "We know. We told them to go on down to breakfast and we'd wait for you. We have gotten to spend much time with you lately. And we miss you."

Hermione beamed at her friends. They made her very happy. Sometimes they could be typical males and ignore her completely and she was fine with that, but it was moments like this when she remembered why she was so close to them in the first place. They all really cared about each other. She would have to find time at some point today to tell them about her and Severus. They already knew that she had decided to get to know him in light of his petition on her behalf. But Hermione wanted them to know how things were going. She wasn't going to mention the few kisses that she had shared with him, but she could tell the boys that they were officially a couple.

Ron shocked Hermione on the way down to breakfast by remarking, "Hermione, you look happy. I'm glad that he makes you happy. I hope it lasts." Hermione and Harry both stopped dead in their tracks and stared at the back of Ron's head. Ron turned around and said, "What? I can't be observant now? Just because you're the smart one doesn't mean I'm completely stupid. I know that your smile lately is because of him. And while yes, I do wish it was someone else who put that smile on your face, I'm just happy that it's there. You deserve to be happy, Hermione."

Hermione didn't know what to say. Instead, she ran at Ron and tackled him in a giant hug. "Thank you, Ron! You can't know how much that means to me," she finally manage to say as she let him go.

Suddenly a deep voice sneered, "How touching. Five points from Gryffindor for turning me off my breakfast, Mr. Weasley."

The boys stiffened instantly and Hermione just sighed. "Good morning, Professor. Did you sleep well?" Hermione asked with the brightest smile she possessed (and as a daughter of dentists it was quite bright).

"Good morning, Ms. Granger. I did. Thank you for asking," Severus replied with a very small smile. He was secretly glad that Hermione's friends were happy for her. He wanted nothing but for her to be happy and he knew that those dunderheads were part of what makes her happy so he was willing to put up with them. But that didn't mean that he wanted them talking about him in the middle of the hallway. It also didn't mean that he wanted them to say things that were nice enough to make her hug them. He wanted all of her hugs to himself. He was a very jealous and possessive man. He would have to talk to her about that once he had his ring on her finger. _Later,_ he thought,_ I don't want to ruin things. She has to say yes. There's still a chance she can say no. There's always that other petition that she has. I don't think she's responded to it yet…_ that thought was always in the back of Severus's mind. That's what had really put him off of his breakfast this morning. But her smile at him was slowly easing his mind. _Besides, didn't she tell me just yesterday that she loves me? Surely she wouldn't say that unless she meant it. And if she really loves me then she'll marry me, not that dunderhead from the ministry, _Severus hoped.

"You're very welcome, sir. I'll see you later," she responded with a wicked grin. She couldn't wait for dinner!

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Hermione parted from her friends early that afternoon. She wanted to get ready for dinner. She took a warm bath and allowed her hair to air dry while she put on her makeup. She applied a light layer to her eyes only to play up her best feature. Her skin was perfect so she didn't bother with foundation. She picked out her favorite casual dress and slipped it over her head and paired it with leggings and her favorite shoes. Then Hermione decided to try something new. She had found a charm that was supposed to tame wild curly hair and had done some research about it. Apparently it would cause her hair to fall in a cascade of smooth ringlets… and it worked! She was very happy about that. Now she wouldn't have to spend so much money on Sleekeazy Hair Potion. It was bloody expensive and too time consuming for her! This charm only took seconds and worked so much better. Deciding she was ready, Hermione made her way down to the dungeons just in time for dinner.

**A/N: Sorry! I've been meaning to update, but it's been really busy around here. **


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